Clothes-line stretcher.



No. 778,045. PATENTBD DEG. zo, 1904.

. o. KIRKBRIDE.

A CLOTHES LINE STRETGHER.

APPLICATION HLED APR.. 27. 1904.

NO MODEL.

@Hor/mm3 my M UNITED STATES Patented December 20, 1904.

PATENT OFFICE.

CHARLES KIRKBRIDE, OF G-LOUSTER, OHIO, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO .Y BENJAMIN F. AOHAUER, OF lGrLOUSTER, OHIO.

CLOTHES-LINE STRETCHER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. l778,045, dated December 20, 1904.

Application led April 27, 1904. Serial No. 205,194.

To MZ whom, it may concern:

Be it known that I, CHARLES KIRKBRIDE, a citizen of the United States, residing at Glouster, in the county of Athens and State of Ohio, have invented new and useful Improvements in Clothes-Line Stletchers, of which the following is a specification. A

My invention relates to clothes-line reels; and its primary object is to provide a novel device of this character which is simple,cheap, and durable and which is adapted to be carried by the person when applying and removing a line to or from its supports, whereby all liability of its becoming soiled by engaging the ground is removed.

A further object of the invention is to provide the reel with a guidetoA evenly distribute the line over the drum of the reel when winding the same thereon; n

The invention consists in thev construction, combination, and arrangement of parts hereinafter fully described, claimed,andillustrated in the accompanying drawings,\vhich disclose the preferred form of my invention, and in which- Figure 1 is a perspective view of a reel constructed in accordance with my invention, and Fig. 2 is adetail view of the springand pawl.

Referring to the drawings by reference-numerals, 1 designates a U-shaped frame preferably constructed from shee't metal and having the side portions 2 thereof provided at points intermediate their ends with alining bearings 3 and at points near their extremities with perforations 4. A shaft5, havingV one of its ends bent to form a crank 6, is jour/ naled in the bearings, and a bolt 6 is secured in the perforations to prevent the side portions from having any lateral movement and to add rigidity to the frame. A drum 7 is keyed to the shaft 6 and provided at its endsvv with vertically-arranged flanges 8, and it has n secured to one of its ends a ratchet-wheel 9,

by means of which it may be swung upon its pivot to either throw it into or out of engagement with the ratchet-wheel. A leaf-spring 12 is bent upon itself about the bolt 6L to place the free end of the lower and longer member thereof in engagement with the under side of the pawl to normally retain it in engagement with the ratchet-wheel. Secured between the members of the spring by means of a rivet, which retains the members in bent relation, is one end of a bar 13, having its other end upwardly curved and disposed in the bifurcation ofthe pawl. rFhe pin 10l passes through the end of the bar which is disposed in the bifurcation of the pawl to support the free end of the spring to retain it in engagement with the pawl. The under side of the lower end of the pawl is 'disposed in a horizontal plane to permit a suiiicient portion thereof to be engaged by the spring to retain the pawl in engagement with the ratchet-wheel against accidental displacement, and the eXtreme lower end of the pawl is at a right angle to said under side to be engaged by the spring when the pawl is out of engagement with the ratchetwheel to prevent it from becoming accidentally thrown into engagement therewith.

A guide 14 is mounted upon the bolt 6 to move back and forth thereon to evenly distribute the line over the drum when it is being wound thereon, and it is constructed from a single piece of wire bent upon itself to form an eye 15, through which the line is passed, and -having its free ends bent about the bolt 6u to pivotally and slidably secure the guide thereon.

The operation of the device may be eX- plained as follows: One end of a lineis passed through the eye 15 of the guide 14 and then secured to the drum 7, said line being then Y.wound upon the drum by causing the same to device. Then the pawl is thrown into engagement with the ratchet-Wheel and the line tightened by turning the crank 6.

Having described my invention, what I claim is* A clothes-line reel and stretcher comprising a frame having a hanged reel journaled therein and provided with a ratchet-Wheel on one of the iianges, a holt for securing the rear ends of the frame together, a pawl pivoted to the frame and coactng with the ratchet-Wheel, means Secured to the pawl and to the rod to regulate the action of the pawl with respect to the ratchet-Wheel, a guide having its ends loosely mounted on the bolt so as to have a lateral or endwise movement thereon, said guide being provided With an eye-loop to inclose the clothes-line during' the operation of Winding and unwinding` the Same on the reel, substantially as specified.

In testimony whereof l ailx my signature in presence of two witnesses.

@HARLEY KIRKBRIDE. Vitne'sses:

J. C. HEADLEY, B. F. ACHAUER. 

